Things of note for the week ending July 20th, 2012
1. Foxcroft & Ginger
…is one of my favourite places in London, the girl reviewed it recently (with input from me) and in doing so, reminded me that I need to create my own Soho post (in fact, I think I might have one drafted somewhere already). In the meantime, check out this Foursquare list that might be of use to you if you ever find yourself that way.
But yeah, be you at Boxpark or Berwick St, @foxanginger is for you.
2. The Nexus 7
I don’t have one (I’m an iPad 2 owner), however everything I’m reading says that it’s actually really bloody good. Not bad for £150 either. Even though it doesn’t have room for a SIM card (deal breaker for me), getting this kind of write-up for a long-famed Apple fan is a BIG deal.
For me, the key is the size. Again, I was skeptical at first, but for many situations, I’ve come to love the 7-inch frame. The iPad is brilliant when you’re sitting on a couch or camped out in a coffee shop. In my view, the 9.7-inch iPad is slowly but surely becoming a laptop replacement. I expect this to continue. But a 7-inch tablet is different. The iPad is clunky to read in bed, for example. The Nexus 7 is perfect for that.
3. Item 47
I’ve written before about expanding the universe and while this isn’t exactly trans-media, this (unique?) kind of approach to film-making gets me very excited about Marvel indeed.
Item 47 is a ten minute short that takes place right after Avengers; it’s not exactly a spoiler to say that the aftermath of the end battle leaves New York in a bit of a mess and, well, some stuff gets left behind. Namely, item 47 (seen above). There’s a one minute short over on Screenrant, but the full feature will come with the Avengers home release later this year.
Outside of this general awesomeness, I really like what Marvel are doing here. They’ve already mentioned their intention to release similar shorts, or ‘one shots’, that connect their different films (Item 47 isn’t their first), and this cross-pollination is just cool. More please. Like Pixar, in fact.
Thanks.
4. Blog Topics
This could be a whole blog post in itself (and we’ll come back to why – and it still may yet) however, for those that are looking for things to write about, then you might want to sign up for Chris Brogan’s blog topic kick-starter project.
I’m lucky enough to have met Chris a couple of times now and he’s always been engaging and generous with his expertise. The titles of each of these email ‘modules’ has got me interested enough, take a look –
- BTMC00 – Welcome letter
- BTMCB0 – Bonuses – and the Tech / Reading List
- BTMC01 – Your Promise to Readers
- BTMC02 – Building Strong Habits
- BTMC03 – The Magazine Building Crash Course
- BTMCB1 – Interview with XXXX (it’s a secret!)
- BTMC04 – Procrastination and Discipline
- BTMC05 – Breaking Down What Works
- BTMC06 – Topic Hunting
- BTMC07 – How to Conduct an Interview
- BTMCB2 – Interview with XXXX (it’s a secret!)
- BTMC08 – The Conversational Tone
- BTMC09 – Make Your Own Editorial Calendar
- BTMC10 – Sprinting, Marathons, and the Awkwards
- BTMC11 – Video, Audio, Photos, and more
- BTMC12 – Money and the Blog
- BTMC13 – A Blogger’s Media Plan
- BTMCB3 – Interview with XXXX (it’s a secret!)
- BTMC14 – Fastblogging
- BTMC15 – Secrets I Have Learned
- BTMC16 – Blogging Versus Book Writing
- BTMCB4 – XXXX (it’s a secret, but really really fun!)
As I said, even if you’re just starting out and don’t have the £/$/€ to invest, those titles are a good thought starter for anyone. Nice work Chris!
5. Batman
This section was going to be about a whole host of Bat-related stuff that I’ve been up to this past week, but with the recent sad events in Colorado, it seems somewhat crass to be all excited about Batman right now.
I’ll save it all up for another day and instead, hand over to the The Dark Knight Rises director to take a moment to remember the innocent lives that were lost in this horrible, horrible way.
——————
“Speaking on behalf of the cast and crew of The Dark Knight Rises, I would like to express our profound sorrow at the senseless tragedy that has befallen the entire Aurora community.
I would not presume to know anything about the victims of the shooting but that they were there last night to watch a movie. I believe movies are one of the great American art forms and the shared experience of watching a story unfold on screen is an important and joyful pastime.
The movie theatre is my home, and the idea that someone would violate that innocent and hopeful place in such an unbearably savage way is devastating to me.
Nothing any of us can say could ever adequately express our feelings for the innocent victims of this appalling crime, but our thoughts are with them and their families.”
– Christopher Nolan, July 2012
